A rebirth of tea
Since the 1980s, Taiwan has not only created its own native tea culture but has also been reinvigorating the mainland's tea industry, which was hard hit by the Cultural Revolution. A tea renaissance has been forming.
In cosmopolitan Shanghai, Taiwanese have opened several new-style teahouses. With RBT and Forest of Flowers, which opened a few years ago, the more recently opened Chamate, and now Chun Shui Tang, which opened in Shanghai in June of this year, a new kind of tea culture has been coming in waves.
When the lanterns are set out in the evening, Chun Shui Tang is at its busiest. People sit outside, and all the tables inside are taken. Small groups of office workers relax after a long day with some tea and a meal.
Chun Shui Tang, which has been open in Taiwan for 24 years and has 24 shops around the island, didn't stress its background when it came to Shanghai.
"We didn't go around underlining the word 'Taiwan,' but from the refinement of the decor, the menu, and the service, it's easy to tell that it's not run by locals," says project manager Erica Liao.
Chun Shui Tang's flagship Shanghai store, surrounded by Starbucks outlets, is designed in a style that mixes a traditional lyricism with contemporary elements. It's decorated with seasonal flowers, reproductions of famous paintings, and interesting curios. Chun Shui Tang has always sought to bring to life the sort of teahouse depicted in literary works like the Mengliang Lu of the Song Dynasty.
Chun Shui Tang has positioned itself as a "cultured" teahouse, so naturally it features Taiwan's "literati tea" in a single cup, and "kung-fu tea" served from a pot. Of the literati tea, in addition to the most expensive Taiwanese high-mountain oolong (RMB68 per cup), famed Chinese varieties such as Keemun black, Xihu longjing, Anxi tieguanyin, Wuyi yancha, Suzhou biluochun, and Yunnanese pu-erh are all on offer. As for kung-fu tea, there are selections including high-mountain oolong, shuishen, guanyin, and iron luohan. The prices are double that of the literati tea, with the imported oolong going for RMB188 per pot.
"The Taiwanese tea we sell is high-mountain oolong from Taiwan's central mountains. It's well-received," says Liao. Northern Chinese like flower tea, and while Shanghainese used to prefer green tea, now the Anxi tieguanyin is the most popular there.
In addition, there are many kinds of cold drinks on offer, such as flower-fruit tea, fruit tea, milk tea, black tea, and everything else one could want. Chun Shui Tang even has occasional promotions on cups of roasted oolong and tieguanyin to go.
"The steam of tea wafts through the air / The scent of orchid powder fills the room / Brewed to perfection, it's no lie / Dismount your horse and try."--